8 Top Best Tourist Attractions in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is best known as the “cidade maravilhosa”, or marvelous city due to its white beaches, soaring mountains and scenic docks.

The city is the second largest city in Brazil and was its capital from 1763 to 1960. Portuguese colonists was the founder of the city. The dazzling landscape, football matches, carnivals, well preserved lush tropical forests and diverse culture of bustling city makes it a must visit place. It has the beauty that attracts the people of all the ages to come and have a blast.

Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer, the statue is recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The statue of Jesus “Cristo Redentor” stands with arms outstretched, the attraction was built approximately 38 meters high and covers 710 meters (2,330 feet) of the Corcovado Mountain. The statue inaugurated in 1931 and the most famous attraction in the Rio de Janeiro.

It is advisable to arrive early in the morning to get a surreal view of the statue and also to see a stunning view of the city. Entry is free.

Copacabana

Few cities are blessed with a beautiful sand beach at its heart, Copacabana is one of them, located in the heart of the luxurious Zona Sul neighborhood. The stimulating 4.5 km of crescent coastline never sleeps, as visitors play beach soccer or volleyball n play, swing and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

Maracana Stadium

This famous soccer stadium Officially inaugurated during the 1950 to host the World Cup final. When it opened, it was able to hold nearly 200,000 people. But later the capacity has been reduced due to its safety reasons and was rebuilt during World Cup 2014. Now it is currently able to seat 80,000 fans making it the largest stadium in South America.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Sugarloaf mountain is a tall 400 meters (1,300 feet) peak rising in the mouth of Guanabara Bay in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a monolith of quartz and granite that visitors can ridge via a glass-walled cable car which is popularly known as a teleférico or bondinho. The car goes every 20 minutes from the base of Babilônia hill and mount to the top of the Morro da Urca hill.

Make sure to check the weather forecast to take a good and clear look of the place. Visiting the peak at sunset is also breathtaking.

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Lagoa)

Popularly known as Lagoa is a lagoon and a district in Rio which is the third-most expensive neighborhood in all of South America. It attracts a lot of tourists during the Christmas season. The lagoon Rodrigo de Freitas offers stunning views of the open-air cafés, night clubs, quality hotels and restaurants along the shore and the beaches beyond.

Jardim Botanico

Jardim Botanico is located to the west of the Lagoa neighborhood, Spread out across more than 340 acres. The gardens were originally built by Regent Prince D in 1808. The garden includes a number of monuments, fountains, including a Japanese garden, a playground, a pond filled with water lilies, souvenir shop and the new Museu do Meio Ambiente which makes it a popular tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro.

Quinta da Boa Vista

The imperial palaces of São Cristóvão, gardens and villas are now public parks and museums, the foremost of which is Quinta da Boa Vista. The palace was the residence of the royal from 1808 to 1889. It was later altered and rebuilt as the Palácio de São Cristóvão. Now, it houses the National Museum, which has the largest zoological, botanical, ethnographic, and archaeological collections in the country, totaling more than a million items.

Catedral de São Sebastião

Catedral de São Sebastião was designed by architect Edgar Fonseca, took his inspiration from Mayan pyramids. The church was built between 1964 and 1979 and seats 5000 in its 96-meter interior with brilliantly colored natural light.